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I'm blogging my way through Raising Real Men with The MOB Society. If you missed a post in the series, head to the Raising Real Men Introduction to catch up. Today, I'm in Part 1 and Chapter 1.
Part 1
- We've got to teach them how to submit to authority without destroying their leadership. pg. 24
- God made that little boy energetic so one day he could go out and conquer the world. pg. 24
- When boys are quiet, someone better go check on them. pg. 25
It is so important that we cultivate manly virtues in our boys and resist feminizing them. Society wants our little boys and little girls to be the same, but they're not the same. I find myself all too often yelling, “Will you just sit still?” when I should be encouraging exploration. I want my boys to develop the manly virtues that God intended for them to have. How can I expect my boys to seek aventure and conquer the world if I won't let them take a leap off the couch?
Chapter 1
- What we admire, we tend to become. pg. 30
- Our boys need heroes – “those whose accomplishments and character are worthy of respect.” pg. 30
A little boy's first ideas of God come from his dad. His dad should be his first hero, but dad should be pointing to the ultimate hero and shifting the focus as quickly as possible to God.
We need to give our boys as many example of heroes as possible. Literature and movies are great ways to do this when used properly. For those who don't know, Josh studied audio production in college. He was planning to do something in the movie industry until God opened a door in radio instead. (He's now in IT, but that's another story.) Movies are a big deal in our house, just like they were in Josh's home growing up. You can't put Josh's immediate family in a room together for more than five minutes without hearing a movie line being quoted!
Movies in our home are not mindless entertainment. Movies are always an exercise in critical thinking either on the topic or the production. We find movies that correspond to what we're learning in school. We discuss movies. We talk about events and choices that we see. Movies are one of the greatest tools of our time to aid in raising boys when used well.
Let's talk! What do you think about how society is feminizing our boys? How do you resist it? What about heroes? How do yo show examples of good heroes to your boys? What about movies? How do you use movies in your home? Share your thoughts in the comments.
